On Screen

BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT

Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer. Written by Hampton Fancher, David Peoples. Directed by Ridley Scott. (STC) 117 min. Opens Nov 9 at the Regent (551 Mt Pleasant).

Already the subject of 25 years' worth of analysis, Ridley Scott's retro-futurist noir has inspired another round of geek-outs with the arrival of this “final cut.” As any self-respecting nerd can tell you, the “director's cut” of 1992 was not really Scott's version but an approximation that was hastily cobbled together from the multiple cuts (an upcoming DVD set includes four). Differences include the addition of shots only seen in the “workprint” version, the replacement of a clumsy appearance by Joanna Cassidy's stunt double, FX touch-ups and the bloody reunion of a pair of eye sockets and Rutger Hauer's thumbs.

Matters of trainspotting aside, the new version is exquisite, looking and sounding better than ever. With its atmosphere of moody languor and its weathered visual aesthetic – take away the video billboards and flying cars and Blade Runner could just as easily have belonged to 1949 as 2019 – it retains a palpable and intoxicating sensuality. No other vision of the future was ever so shabby and swoony at once. JA

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